What I learned about leading change from an orangutan!

Fu ManChu the Orangutan changed the trajectory of my career.

I never actually met him, but reading & reflecting on his story became a cornerstone in my understanding of leading change.

For those who don't know the story, I used to teach from a boring slide:

3 Things Required for Change: Tools. Skills. Mindset.

I read the story of Fu ManChu while visiting the Henry Doorly Zoo with my wife & children in the early 2000's (He was an actual orangutan who lived at there in the mid 1960's), it all made sense.

The head zoo keeper was getting ANGRY! Why were his employees so careless to allow the orangutans to keep escaping? He was almost ready to fire someone before a junior zoo keeper observed Fu ManChu going over to the door and fiddling with the lock.

Soon enough the door opened and the orangutans escaped.

Upon sedating Fu ManChu, they found that he had hidden a wire on his gum-line like a retainer!

Let's bring it back to Fu ManChu & process change...

He needed 3 things to escape his cage: Tools. Skills. Mindset.

The moment they took away the tool (a wire he had broken from the light cage), he was no longer able to escape! He still had Skills & Mindset.

Imagine a zebra. You could give the zebra a key to the door - the best tool! The zebra may want to escape. He now has the best tool. He will never develop the skills to succeed.

Finally - Mindset.

If Fu ManChu had not been motivated to escape, then he never would have acquired the tool. Remember, he also taught himself the skills. Nobody gave him a tool or enrolled him in a program. He was so motivated to escape the cage that he procured a tool & self-taught the skills.

Which of the 3 elements is missing for you?

What are you doing to jump-start change?

Interested in learning more? Check out learnmore.epsoptics.com

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